The Good Will Come and Go, and Come Again
by dusty-kittens
Summary: Lisanna's return from Edolas has the guild in full party swing. For weeks people rejoice, and everyone is happy. Except one: Lucy. Though she tries to hide her sadness, and show cheer to Strauss' return, it slowly eats away at her. Each day less bearable, until finally, one day she breaks. She leaves the guild, starts a journey to be a new person, and runs into someone unexpected.
1. The Leave

AN: Okay, yes. There's a shitload of stories already with the same general idea. I just thought I could take the idea, and give it a new twist. At least, that's what I hope to do. I hope you all enjoy this.

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**Disclaimer:** No. I don't own FT, go away.

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_Don't waste your time looking back at what you've lost. Move on, life is not meant to be travelled backwards_

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It had been a few weeks since Lisanna had come back from Edolas. Everyone was happy, especially Natsu and Happy. Finding them away from the white-haired Strauss sister since she had returned was a rarity, and almost didn't happen; unless one of them had gone to the bathroom. So Lucy sat on the edge of the guild, sipping a smoothie that had a little something extra in it. Much to Mira's dismay, Lucy had picked up drinking since her younger sister had come back, but she understood why. The guild didn't ignore Lucy, but she definitely wasn't as thought of as she was. Mira, Levy, Juvia and even Gajeel had done their best over the weeks to keep Lucy's smile from falling, but had failed slowly. Juvia and Gajeel more-so understood what Lucy was going through; none of them had known the young girl before she had supposedly died. What they didn't understand though, was why Lucy felt as bad as she did.

The second week Lisanna had been back, Team Natsu had gone on a mission without Lucy, taking Lisanna with them instead. When Mira had told Lucy this she had been fine with it, having already covered her rent for the month. What upset Lucy was a voice from the back saying, "It's just like old times, those 4 running off on some crazy adventure." Tears had begun to build up in her eyes as the realization hit. Before Mira could ask what was wrong, Lucy had run out of the guild, arm over her face to cover her tears.

When she made it back to her apartment, she pulled out her pen and papers, and began to scribble furiously in a letter to her mother.

_Dear Mother,_

_I hate to say this. It hurts me to think it even, but to write it, and see it written before my eyes may be the worst thing yet. I love Natsu, I love Gray, and Erza, Levy, Juvia, Mira, even Gajeel, for he is not as bad a man he once was, but that's not the point. I love everyone, and I know they love me. They have not shown me love recently, but they have not shown dislike towards me either. They have not angered me either, mother. Lisanna Strauss is home; Mira and Elfman's younger sister. It's a long story and not one for right now. I think Lisanna is beautiful, yes. Kind like Mira, strong willed like Elfman. I have no reason to hate her, and I don't. I have just come to realize, that Lisanna is not replacing me in the guild, but I was her replacement. The guild is happy that she is home, and to them everything is "normal" again; normal as in, without me. Everyone still talks to me, when they notice me. It's not often, but I'm not entirely ignored. I think with time, the guild will come to balance again and things will be normal. I even hope that Lisanna and I can become good friends, and Team Natsu will be as it once was +1 (me being the +1). I just hate that I was a replacement, and though I hope for things to become fine again, I fear that with time, I will be completely forgotten. I fear that the guild will not be as how I loved it. They have Lisanna back, and I'm afraid she's going to wipe my existence of their memory maps. Tears blur my vision as I write this, but my plan is – if things do not go back to the way they were – to leave Fairy Tail. I will not go without a goodbye though, and I will explain to them that I do not hate them...I know I won't be able to tell them in person, so I will leave a note. Makarov will be the only one that I will say goodbye to in person. I will write to you again next week, Mother. Until then, rest well. I love you so much,_

_Lucy_

Since then, things have not gotten better. Lucy has become more forgotten than before. Even Juvia was talking to her less and less. Mira and Gajeel still hung around, but Lucy was silently drunk half the time. She barely spoke, and barely smiled. Her ever increasing depression and isolation, even in the guild, had become too much for Levy to handle, and eventually she stopped trying to talk to Lucy. Not because she didn't care, the aura of depression around Lucy was just so strong that Levy couldn't keep her own emotions together around the poor blonde. Gajeel, used to such a brooding manner, had taken to sitting beside Lucy at the bar and drinking with her; while Mira would supply them with booze whenever they pleased. Mira still loved Lucy, and showed it every -day when Lucy would show up at the guild at 9am and immediately ask for a spiked strawberry smoothie: Mira would smile at the once out-going blonde, but only receive a meek grimace in return. Despite this, Mira would still try to bring a smile to her face, which Lucy appreciated every single day, and though she couldn't bring herself to truly smile, she would tell Mira with her eyes how much she appreciated her effort; and she knew Mira understood.

One day, Lucy entered the guild with a different, more confident walk to her step. Mira handed the blonde her special smoothie, and sent a questioning look Lucy's way. The blonde just shrugged, grabbed the smoothie, and headed up the stairs to Master's office.

_*knock knock knock* _

"Come in, child," Makarov replied loudly from his desk

In stepped a forlorn looking Lucy, who held a strawberry smoothie in her hand.

"Hello Master," Lucy's voice was solemn, and almost monotone

"Is it time, Lucy?" Makarov asked, a sad expression cascading down his face and his posture slouching with the sadness

"Yes Master, I'm afraid it is. Nothing has changed, and I can't take it anymore. I want you to give this note to Team Natsu later today, and this one specifically to Mira, Levy, Gajeel, and Juvia. You can say whatever you like to the guild, but let them know I'm not mad at them and I don't hate them. Maybe, one day in the future, I will come back to visit. I'm not sure," Lucy had tears in her eyes as she handed Makarov the two envelopes, each titled to whom they were for.

"Take care, Lucy, child," Makarov said, as he removed the guild stamp from her hand, tears threatening to fall from his own eyes. To say he was disappointed in his guild was an understatement. Inside, he was furious, and ready to cast Fairy's Law on all of them, but he wouldn't, since Lucy had made it clear when she told him her plan, that he should not hurt them for their mistake.

Lucy placed a quick peck on the top of the old man's head, causing him to finally release the held back tears, "I will be fine Master, I will write to you when I can if it makes you feel better," she gave him a bleak smile.

At this, the Master smiled at Lucy as she walked out of his office.

Downstairs, Lucy pulled Mira into a quick hug, before giving her the empty glass.

"Take care Mira, I'll always love you," she croaked as fresh tears sprung from her eyes, she gave Mira's arm a squeeze, then walked away quickly, hoping to leave before Mira could say anything else, in fear that if Mira tried to stop her, she would listen.

"Lucy!" she heard Mira call behind her, the sound of a glass shattering told her Mira had dropped the tray of glasses, but she was already out the doors, "LUCY!" a louder scream this time, as Mira came running out of the guild. Lucy had already gone from sight though - having moved quickly into an alley to avoid seeing the look on Mira's face - leaving Mira to run onto the street, screaming for Lucy to come back.

The few people in the guild that early, came rushing after Mira, asking her what was wrong, getting no reply from the hysterical white-haired mage, who had crumpled to the ground in a heap. She let herself fall forward onto the pavement, and continued to cry and scream, her voice quickly becoming hoarse. In Mira's mind, Lucy was going to _leave_. Mira knew how depressed Lucy had been, and she was terrified that Lucy was going to do exactly what she feared. To Mira, the pain of Lucy _leaving_ was as bad as the pain of losing her sister, Lisanna. And that is what Mira thought of Lucy, another sister. She had just gained one back, she was not ready to go through the same loss again. **(AN: omg, please, do not hate me or cry for making this extremely sad, I shed many a tear as I write this)**

Moments later, Makarov stepped out of the guild, and walked towards the heart-broken woman,

"Mira dear, stand up," he said to her,

Mira stopped crying for a moment, and brought herself to her knees in front of the man, coming to eyelevel with him.

"Mira, Lucy will be fine. She is not going to do what you think. She is stronger than that. I promise you that she will live," Makarov held his hand out to Mira, and wiped a tear that had fallen down her cheek, "So stand up Mira, and be strong for Lucy. You will see her again."

Mira did just that. She stood up, and she wiped the tears from her face, and sniffled a few more times. She brushed the dirty and wrinkles out of her dress, and fixed her ruffled hair, pulling it neatly back into its normal style. She took a deep breath, and turned to the guild members who were watching her and the Master converse; confusion written across their faces.

"Come on children, come inside. I have an important announcement to make once everyone has arrived. Until then, do not ask Mira about it," Makarov's voice seemed to waver slightly as he spoke, but he stood proud and tall (for the height that he was), and he walked back into the guild, trailed by Mira close at his heels, and slowly, the rest of the guild.

A few hours had passed, and everyone had finally arrived at the guild. Word spread quickly about Mira's breakdown in the morning about Lucy, though none of them knew why. Team Natsu seemed especially concerned for what had happened, Erza being the only one there had described to the others just how distraught Mira had been, and it left them all worried for their loving bar-maid, and the blonde that Mira had been distraught about. None of them could figure out why though, the woman had been so worried about Lucy, for none of them had realized that Lucy had become depressed, an alcoholic, and just as introverted as Gajeel.

"Come on guys, Lucy's gotta be okay. We all know Mira is a mother-hen and worries lots about all of us. It could be nothing," Natsu tried to convince the rest of Team Natsu

"Except the last time she reacted like that was when Lisanna died," Erza pointed out, having been the one to see it

"Was it really that bad?" Gray asked, concern furrowing his brow. He thought back to the day Lisanna had died, though none of them had seen it happen, Mira's condition when they returned home was horrifying, and the memory of her breakdown at the funeral sent shivers down his spine.

"Yes, it was that bad. Her voice went hoarse within minutes of her beginning to scream. I believe she woke up everyone that was still sleeping," Erza looked down, in her mind she was comparing Mira's shrill shrieks today, to the ones at Lisanna's funeral, realizing that Mira may have been crying more because of Lucy than she did because of Lisanna. This worried Erza greatly, causing her own brow to come together in worry, "I'm extremely worried about Lucy, if whatever happened was enough to send Mira into hysterics, it must have been pretty bad,"

Natsu, hating to admit that Erza was right, looked at Gray, and they both nodded their heads in agreement.

Lisanna looked between the three friends, worry creasing her own face, "What if it's my fault guys?" she asked quietly, looking down at her hands which were clasped in her lap, "What if she left because she felt like I was replacing her?"

Before the rest of the team could reply, Levy slammed her book down on the table, startling them all.

"Don't you dare think like that, Lucy would scold you for thinking such a thing! I do not know why or when Lucy decided to leave, but I do know that she began to struggle with depression. Natsu, Gray, Erza, you were all neglecting her. Everyone in this guild except Mira, Gajeel, Juvia and I, neglected her for weeks. To the point she started to drink every day to try and kill the pain in her mind. It got so bad I couldn't even be around her anymore. Juvia left before I did, but don't worry Juvia, Lucy does not hate you, she understands. Gajeel stayed with her because he knew she needed more of a presence than a friend, and he was content to just sit and drink with her. Mira tried hard every single day to bring a smile to Lucy's face, but failed each time. You guys hurt her so much...and now she's gone," Levy burst into tears, as Gajeel walked up behind her and placed an arm over her shoulder and guided her away from Team Natsu's table, to instead where he normally sat.

The entire guild was silent, and in shock. Most realized that what Levy said was true, and Cana and Ever began to cry softly. Tears threatened to break the edges of Grays own eyes, but he held them back the best he could. A loud sob broke through the silence, and they all turned to see Mira sitting on the ground again, crying heavily into her hands. Elfman moved forwards to try and help her up, but she brushed him off, opting to continue sitting there instead.

"So it is my fault, I distracted you all, made you all forget your own nakama..." Lisanna's voice cracked on the last word, before she too broke into loud sobs.

Gajeel stood then, and moved to Lisanna's side.

"No, it's not your fault Lisanna. Lucy told me herself that she does not blame you. She does not blame anyone for their actions. She understands. Lucy told me one night after most of you had gone home, that she felt herself to be simply a replacement for you Lisanna. She said the only reason she was still there that night was because she was hoping the guild would regain balance, and she could get to know you herself, and everything would be good again, at least from her eyes. But then she said she didn't see that happening, she felt that if the guild had you back they wouldn't need her anymore, that everyone was happy now that the guild was back to _normal_," he spat the last word out, though the rest of his speech was softly spoken, especially so for Gajeel.

What he said in turn, made the white-haired girl cry harder. She was full of regret that she had not even tried to get to know the blonde right off the bat. After all, she had made Natsu happy again after she was gone, and from what Mira told her, Lucy was a beautiful human being, more than just physically. She had a beautiful soul, and loved everyone, and forgave those who deserved it.

Erza was in complete shock over what Gajeel had just told them, unable to hold back her tears any longer she let them go freely. At the sight of Erza crying, Gray also let the tears fall down his own cheeks. Natsu had no expression on his face; instead he just stared blankly at a wall. His normally bright, obsidian eyes were now a dull grey, his shoulders limp, and his back slouched.

While everyone was silent, save for a few sobs and Gajeel's boots pounding across the floor as he moved back to Levy, who was silent in the corner, Makarov appeared at the top of the stairs. He slowly made his way down to the bar, and sat himself on the counter.

"Listen up brats; I know that you have all heard of why Lucy is gone now. Do not try to stop her, do not go after her. Let her be children. She needs time. She has promised me that she will write, and I promise you all that I will share each letter with you when it comes," no one in the guild said anything, "Lucy, as we all know, was a bright, cheerful bubbly girl who brought a smile to everyone's face. What most of you didn't realize was how easily that smile was taken from her. She became quiet, isolated herself, and drank more than she should have. Most days she started at 9am and drank the whole day through. She even spent a few nights a week at the guild over night in the infirmary because she was too drunk to go home. In my hand I hold two letters. On to Team Natsu, and one to Mira, Levy, Gajeel, and Juvia," he paused, "I can confirm to you all, that what Gajeel and Levy has said is true. She does not hate any of you, she is not angry with any of you; she still loves all of you. Even you, Lisanna, though she did not know you for long, she knew you were a kind girl, and knew you were good for Natsu. Lucy had told me, that she already forgives all of you, and she understands. Lisanna coming back was a huge deal for the guild, and she knows that we can all get caught up in exciting things easily. She also wanted me to tell everyone, be good." He hopped down from the counter, and handed Natsu and his team their letter, then went to Mira and handed her the letter for her, Gajeel, Levy and Juvia.

Both groups opened their letters, and read them together, tears falling down all their cheeks as they read Lucy's goodbyes in their heads. When Natsu had finished reading the note, he was even more numb than before. Angry with himself for neglecting her, _her_ of all people, he felt his hands light up in flame. He stood up, leaving everyone with curious looks on their faces. Lisanna tried to follow him, but was pulled back by Erza who shook her head. Lisanna understood, and looked on as the dragon slayer stormed out of the guild. Moments later, the ground and entire guild began to shake. Worried by the enormous amount of noise, the guild ran out to find Natsu in a crater in the ground, punching the ground repeatedly. One final, flame-filled punch to the ground had the whole guild blocking their faces from the flying sand and dust. When it cleared, Natsu was on his back in the crater, tears finally streaming from his eyes as he rubbed his bruised and bloodied knuckles against his cheeks, trying to wipe away the tears. Frustrated, the dragon slayer released an agony-filled scream and slammed both hands into the ground one last time.

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_Sometimes, moving on with the rest of your life starts with goodbye._

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**[AN: okay, I really hope nobody hates me for writing such a feels shredding first chapter. Though, I DID list one of the genres being Angst. Since this story obviously has a lot more detail to it, it will be updated less than the other 2 stories I am currently working on (a more humorous Fairy Tail fanfic, and an old Soul Eater fanfic that I've just picked up again after year long writer's block). Anyways, like all writer's here say, Please R&R, and I seriously mean it. Give me some feedback. The more feedback I have the more confidence I have towards actually finishing the story. Feed me constructive criticism, tell me what you think! Hope you all have a lovely time, -Dusty]  
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	2. The Rain

**AN: **So there was a derp with the original uploading of chapter 2, and I don't know what the heck happened. So here's chapter 2 (again), and a big thanks to all the favoriters and followers I have so far, you motivate me to write more. And the reviews! thanks for the reviews, few but definitely motivating as well.

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**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own Fairy Tail! Go away.

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_Moving on doesn't mean you forget about things. It just means you have to accept what happened and continue living._

Since Lucy's departure of Fairy Tail, it had been nine months. To avoid being recognized as she travelled around Fiore she had taken to wearing a large black cloak that had a large hood, and a cowl to wrap across her lower face whenever she wished. Her new attire also consisted of slim black gloves that had grey designs around them, and left her finger tips open; which helped greatly when she needed to battle and couldn't look at her keys, so she'd just feel them, and know by the slightest touch who was who. She no longer wore her skimpy bright outfits, but instead wore black, tight-fit tanks, yoga pants when she was travelling long distances – usually by foot – which was more comfortable to fight in if she ran into trouble between towns and black skinny fit jeans when she was staying in a town for more than a few days.

To further hide her identity, Lucy also died her golden blonde hair to a raven black, and used a glamour magic to make her eyes look light blue. Though most would find it a great deal to go through so much just to cover an identity, she did not want to be found, and was willing to take any chances at hiding who she really was. The glamour magic had been a pain to find, and even more of a pain to learn. Once she got the hang of it though, it just stuck to her. At first, she would have to recast the spell every morning to cover her eye color, but after a certain amount of time it just stayed. After three months of the magic not wearing off Lucy began to wonder if she glamour had decided to change her eyes completely rather than simply cover them. She had no real worries for it though, it just meant less time worrying about being recognized.

Three months after leaving Fairy Tail, Lucy's magic had grown significantly. Surprised by her fast improvement, she sought to further improve her magic more. By the end of the fourth month, she was able to summon 6 of her 10 zodiac keys at once. Though she still felt like something was missing, Fleuve d'étoiles was not enough for Lucy anymore, and though she loved the whip, she wanted something else to go with it.

After pondering the idea for a few days, Lucy passed a weapons shop in one of the towns that was close to Magnolia, and decided to have a look inside. As she scanned the weapon racks for what she wanted, though she did not know what, she heard the door open, and watched in horror as Erza and Natsu walked into the shop. She flattened herself against one of the walls near the back, and then laughed internally at her silliness. They would not recognize her; she was just another faceless person in the crowd.

She removed herself from the wall, and continued to scan for the right weapon. Little did she know that as she searched, Natsu had caught a scent that made his stomach flip-flop with nostalgia. His gaze drifted towards the cloaked figure in the corner, who was now holding a katana in her hands, weighing it before she gracefully swung it in a circle. Natsu inhaled deeply, and realized that the scent was coming from the figure. He moved close to Erza, who was eying a new pair of armored boots.

"Erza..." his voice loud enough for only her to hear

"Not now Natsu, I'm trying to figure out which boots to buy," she replied, waving him off

"Erza, it's Lucy," his voice was quiet, almost a whisper, afraid that if he spoke any louder it would crack.

Erza froze. _What?!_ She whipped around and grabbed Natsu by the collar,

"WHAT?! LUCY? WHERE?!" she yelled, becoming frantic.

Suddenly, a cloaked figure brushed past them quickly. Hearing a jingling of keys, Erza glanced to the figure running by, and gasped. The wind had caught in the cloak's insides lifting it to just the right height, and revealed a set of celestial keys.

Tears sprung to Erza's eyes as she recognized the set of keys, only one celestial mage in all of Fiore had that many gold zodiac keys. She pushed Natsu aside, and ran out of the shop, practically blasting the door off its hinges in the rush.

"LUCY!" Erza called, as she frantically pushed through the crowd, trying hard to jump above the bustling crowd and find the hooded figure, but to no avail. "Lucy! Please!" she called again, drawing the attention of people in the crowd.

"She's gone," Natsu spoke sadly, her scent had been lost in the confusion of so many others; there was no way he could pick it up. "Erza, we should go home. We know she's alive. That's got to count for something,"

Erza looked up at the pink-haired – normally obnoxious – dragon slayer, tears still trailing down her cheeks. Anger flashed through her eyes, _how dare he give up so easily_?

"I won't give up!" she yelled, "You're a fucking dragon slayer, Natsu Dragneel. Sniff out her fucking scent. You obviously caught it in the shop, why can't you smell her now?!" desperation to see her blonde friend again drove Erza to speak in ways she normally never did. But Natsu didn't flinch. He was not the same since she had left. He didn't start brawls in the guild anymore when he came by, and when he did it was always for a mission. He was quiet; one could take the man for being very thoughtful, when really he never had anything to say anymore.

"Give up, Erza," Natsu said coldly, "Give up because she's not coming back, and she doesn't want to see us again. Isn't that clear?" he spat at the red-haired woman who shrunk back from his words, "If she did, she would have said hi in there, she would have sent us a letter, she would have sent Master a letter for fucks sake, can't you see she's not coming back? We fucked up Erza, and her leaving for good is the price," he pulled his scarf tighter around his neck, whipped around and stalked off.

Erza looked down at her hands, and felt water drops hit them. _Am I still crying?_ She thought as she reached to wipe the tears away, but there were no tears. Looking around she noticed that dark spots began to appear on the pavement. Looking up, she realized that the sky had turned to a terrifying black; the clouds swirled with anger and with the threat of a dangerous storm. Looking to where Natsu disappeared, she ran after him, hoping to make it to their inn on time.

Lucy trudged through the gross, sloppy mud, not caring that her thigh-high boots were almost covered to the knee. The wind ripped and tore at Lucy's cloak and hood, ruffling her hair underneath, the driving rain making it almost impossible to see five feet in front of her. _Damn this cursed weather!_ She internally screamed at the sky. Since leaving Fairy Tail, Lucy had gotten used to travelling in all kinds of weather, and was even used to getting her clothes dirty. It was all for the sake of constant movement and not being found; but this was the worst storm she'd been caught in so far. The last time she remembered the sky being that dark, she had been a young girl and had run for her mother's arms when the lighting broke the sky, and the thunder shook the house. This time, she didn't have her mother's arms to run into, she didn't have anyone's arms to run into.

Truthfully, Lucy was scared, but trying to be brave for herself, she continued to push on. After another ten minutes of struggling and slipping in the mud, Lucy began to shiver. Her clothes were soaked to her skin, leaving nothing to keep her warm, which in turn, let the cold sink into her bones. Her breathing became more ragged the more she walked, the mud making each step treacherous. She paused every few minutes to push her hair off her face and wipe the rain from her eyes. Lightning suddenly broke across the sky, startling Lucy and causing her to slip and fall in the mud. Feeling a sharp sting on her forehead, she threw back her hood and raised her hand to her forehead. When she pulled her hand back, there was blood running down her fingers, mixed heavily with the rain water. She watched the blood dilute further as it travelled down her fingers and she cursed herself for thinking she could travel in this weather.

'_Safety...'_ she thought to herself, _'I need to get to safety. A cave where I could dry up and clean this wound,'_ she scrambled to her feet – as more lightning ripped across the sky – trying not to slip in the mud again.

She started trekking through the rain again, pushing herself harder than she did before; visibility reduced even more as the wind picked up and sent the rain in all directions. The sun had long since sunk below the horizon, leaving the land so dark the only time Lucy could see the rain ten-feet in front of her was when lightning lit up the sky. The night-time chill mixed with the rain made for a deathly cold, leaving Lucy wondering if she would make it out of the storm alive. With these thoughts going through her head, Lucy could feel the tears start to form in her eyes, not making it any further though having been washed away by the rain driving into her hood. Lucy began to cry harder, as her body began to shake even more and the wound on her forehead stung; the storm was deadly to be out in, and unless Lucy was miraculously saved by some big hunk with house 20-feet away, Lucy's chances of beating hypothermia were slim. She could feel the cold beginning to sap her energy, making her struggle through the mud even tougher than it already was.

In a desperate attempt to stay warm, Lucy grabbed the edges of her soaked cape and pulled them close around her. She looked around, squinting through the rain, but could see nothing. Any hope of making it out of the storm started to drift away, when another flash of lightning split the sky, lighting up the world long enough for Lucy to see the shape of what looked for be a forest on the horizon; and not far.

Hope surged through her, giving her strength despite the cold. With the new strength, Lucy took off as fast as the mud would let her, slipping and almost losing her balance a few times anyways. Within five minutes, Lucy had made it to the edge of the forest.

Gasping for breath she ducked behind the tree line, relief washing over her as she leaned against a tree and sunk to the ground. Laughter bubbled up from with-in and she threw back her hood, '_Lucy Heartfilia escapes death again_' she continued to laugh at the headline in her brain. After giving herself a few minutes to relax, Lucy called Virgo out and began to set up camp. After a fire had been started, a small tent set up, and Lucy's clothes hung to dry, she looked around the forest. It was dark, and dense, the trees close together and the canopy of leaves above blocking almost all of the rain, which surprised Lucy, considering how harshly it was raining.

Thanks to Virgo, Lucy had also set up a canvas above her campsite, not letting any of the stray raindrops fall onto Lucy or her drying clothes. Finally, she begun to relax, and she pulled out a small flask. Tipping it back to take a swig, she realized that there was nothing left. _'Dammit, I knew I should have stocked up in that last town,'_ she threw the flask to the ground angrily, and proceeded to pull out a small pack of smokes. She would have too, if Natsu hadn't caught her scent and alerted Erza. Remembering the shop, she also remembered that she had managed to pay for the katana before she had been caught. Reaching back, she pulled the katana from the sheath on her back, and examined it; flames dancing off the shiny reflection of the brand new blade. Exhaling a lung full of smoke, she continued to admire the deadly blade that was now in her hands. After a few more turns of the blade, and an intense examination of the handle, she put the blade back into its sheath, removed the sheath from her body, and laid it in her tent next to the sleeping bag.

She stepped back out of the tent, and stretched, relishing in the warmth provided by the fire. She now wore a pair of dark, loose fit sweat pants, combat boots, and a white tank top, and her hair had completely dried. Throwing on a thick sweater, Lucy decided to walk to the edge of the forest where she came in – only about 15 feet from where she set up camp – and see what the weather was like; since the underbrush, branches, and close proximity of all the trees blocked off the edge of the forest, and almost the entire sound of the storm with it. The only thing Lucy could hear was the occasional rumble of thunder.

Pulling her hood up, she pushed her way through the branches and slightly damp ferns. She came to the edge of the forest, and was surprised to find that it had stopped raining. Thunder could still be heard rolling in the distance, the field before her had a thick layer of fog covering the ground, and moisture hung heavy in the sky. Small openings could be seen in the clouds, some of them giving way to the stars and occasionally the moon would break through and light up the field; but only momentarily. The clouds were moving across the sky at a swift speed, giving Lucy hope that by morning the blue skies and sun would be back again.

As Lucy continued to stare into the open field, she didn't notice the man walking up behind her until his hands were on her and he was struggling to drag her back into the forest.

Shocked, Lucy began her own struggle to get free; realizing that the man was too strong for her, she switched tactics from brute force to fast, solid attacks in sensitive areas of the body. Quickly as she could, she brought her elbow up and nailed the man in the neck, leaving him stunned for a moment. As his grip on her loosened, she caught her foot behind his knee and yanked her foot forwards while smashing her head backwards into his face, sending him crashing to the ground. She quickly took her chance and ran back towards her small little camp, dove into her tent to get her katana, and went back out to face him.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, attacking me like that," she demanded, blade drawn and pointed at him as he came into the small clearing, blood dripping down his nose.

"I _was_ going to pull you back into the forest where we could hide, because _obviously_ you didn't notice the small group of bandits that were coming across the field," the man said with a sneer

Lucy stared at the man in front of her, her gaze wary and trained steadily on him, making sure she was ready for any sudden attacks.

"And why? Would you do that?" she questioned him, they had started to circle around the fire, and the entire time the man had his hand up to his face, trying hard to stop the blood pouring from his nose.

He pulled his hand away, "Because, your scent reminds me of someone I met briefly. It was a while ago, I never got to know her well, but her scent has stuck with me since the first time I breathed it in," he wiped his nose a few more times with the edge of his hand, blood was still falling from it in a steady trickle.

Lucy stared intensely at the man in front of her for a few seconds, before the fire shed light on a scar that went across his right eye. She gasped, "Laxus?"

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_Don't give up, the beginning is always the hardest_


	3. The Letter

**Disclaimer:** No I don't own Fairy Tail, go away.

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The entire guild sat in unusual quietness; not completely silent though. Some people were making small comments to each other, the sound of food being eaten slowly, pages of a book being turned, the occasional sigh. Makarov was sitting on the bar table, barrel of beer half empty beside him. Cana was sitting on the floor under the bar table, empty beer barrels surrounding the area. Mira shuffled miserably from table to table, asking quietly if anyone wanted anything; most people saying no. Team Natsu was the most out of character. Erza wasn't even at the guild, still shaken from her brief _encounter_ – if you could even call it that – with Lucy a few days before. Natsu sat at their regular table with his head down, possibly sleeping but most likely thinking about Lucy. Gray was leaning back against the wall, Juvia sitting silently beside him, her hand resting on his knee. Levy was sitting in the corner of the room with Gajeel, Jet and Droy. She was reading over the manuscript of the story Lucy had been writing. Since Lucy had left, Levy had read it enough times to have it memorized, but still she continued to read. It was the only thing left of her friend.

Of all the people in the guild, no one would have guess that Lisanna had been the most affected by Lucy's absence. It wasn't just that Lucy wasn't there; the girl had barely known the other. It was more of the fact that Lisanna continued to blame herself in silence that it was her fault. It was her own fault that the guild was like this now, her fault that everyone was sad. It was her fault that she had distracted everybody, and driven Lucy away before she could even get to meet her. Lisanna sat at the bar as well, though not drinking (Mira refused to give her baby sister alcohol). Her head was down, and she continued to blame herself. Every day she sat in complete silence, only nodding or giving people one word answers.

Seeing her younger sister like this drove Mira crazy, it was like the downfall of Lucy all over again. And just like with Lucy, Mira did everything she could to try and bring a smile to her sister's face. And just like with Lucy, barely getting a response. This time though, Mira would not let her nakama go. She would shackle Lisanna to the bar table if she had to; but she was not letting another one go.

Lisanna didn't know what to think of her world, her original world, anymore. When she had returned, she had been ecstatic. She was with her _real_ family again. The ones she shared Earthland blood with, the one she shared Earthland memories with. The one with Erza _Scarlet_, the one who wasn't trying to hunt them down. The one with Natsu _Dragneel_, the one who wasn't crazy about cars and could breath and eat fire. With Gray _Fullbuster_, no finer or faster a stripper in all of Fiore. With the Fairy Tail guild of _Earthland_. The land of free magic. But most importantly, the one with Lucy _Heartfilia_. The girl everyone said shone like the stars themselves, the one who cared for everyone. The strongest girl in the guild, though not by Magic – but by willpower. The sheer willpower to always smile, and stand back up to her enemies. The will to forgive those who have done wrong. The girl Lisanna drove away by coming home.

As she sat and thought about the wonderful memories of her younger years here with everyone, she began to miss them more. But what overtook her sadness was anger. She was angry with herself. She was angry with the guild. She was all in all, angry. She could not stop blaming herself, and she had not stopped for months. It just got worse and worse, to the point she was now wishing she _was_ dead. Because if she was truly dead, like everyone had believed for so long, she would not have come back. She would not have ruined the new happiness that the guild revolved around. They would all be fine. And she would still be missed.

"Lisanna...?" a voice broke through her thoughts, it was cautious, and after a moment she realized it was her sisters. She looked up, her eyes had no life to them, and they were just blank, almost unseeing.

"Yes Mira-nii?" Lisanna asked, almost robotically.

"Lisanna dear, why don't you go home. You look sick...I'll be home in a few hours to make you some soup if you're hungry then," Mira said, a small, slightly forced smile on her lips.

"Okay nii-chan. I'll see you then," Lisanna twisted around and jumped off the bar stool and swiftly walked out of the guild.

Once the doors closed behind her she started running. Not paying attention to where she was going, she continued to run. After some time, she found herself in front of Lucy's old apartment. Natsu had taken her there once when Lucy was still around, it was her first day home from Edolas, and Natsu had come by to tell Lucy he wouldn't be coming by later, because he was with her. Lisanna stared up at the blank open windows, curtains still hanging in place, just like the last time she had been there.

What little hope the guild had left for Lucy's return, they put into paying the blonde's rent and keeping her stuff there. Just in case she came home.

Lisanna walked up to the door, and tried to knob, slightly surprised to find it unlocked. She pushed the door open, and looked inside. It looked as though nothing had been touched, except the fridge; which they had emptied to avoid spoiled foods. Lisanna walked over to a small desk in the corner, and moved sifted through the papers that had been left there. Not reading anything, she put them back into place, and noticed a small box in the corner of the desk. Curiosity getting the best of her, she opened the box.

On top of a pile of envelopes, there was another envelope, addressed to her. Shock coursed through her veins and she picked up the envelope. She felt her body go numb, and she rubbed her hands across the top of the note, trying hard to make sure it was real. When she was sure it was, she flipped it over, and slowly began to open the letter.

_Dear Lisanna,_

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry I never got to know you. You seemed so nice, and wonderful, and innocent. In the time I was sober enough to try and learn about you from what I could hear and see, I concluded that you're a good hearted person. Like Mira. I'm afraid that my leaving will devastate Mira, and maybe a few others, before the guild realizes, and I'm afraid they'll either be mad or equally devastated when they realize what happened to me. Lisanna...do not blame yourself. I do not blame you, and I never will. I do not blame anybody, nobody realized just how your return was affecting me. I felt like I was your replacement, Lisanna. You've probably heard that already from someone. _

_I don't know if you'll ever actually get this. If you do though, and you're reading this...Do NOT blame yourself, Lisanna. I promise on my celestial keys that it is not your fault. It may be too late, by the time you HAVE read this, promise me you'll look after Natsu and the guild. You're the only one who knows him as well as I do. Make him happy again, make them all happy. _

_Love, Lucy Heartfilia_

Tears poured from Lisanna's eyes as she read the letter. In front of her, was a letter from the woman she had driven away from the guild, telling her that it wasn't her fault. In front of her, was a letter asking her to make everyone happy again. And she didn't know how. She didn't know how long she sat there, but when she opened her eyes again the sun had set and all that was left was an almost eerie red splash across the sky. She could hear shouting, what sounded like Natsu and Mira. Pulling herself up, she went and opened the door to the apartment, and found Natsu standing there, hand out and reaching for the doorknob Lisanna had just pulled away.

"Oh! Lisanna!" Mira flew past Natsu, sending him flying out of the way and landing with a crash, and embraced Lisanna with a life-crushing hug.

"M...Mira...air..." Lisanna choked out quietly

"Oh yeah, sorry," she quickly let go of Lisanna

Natsu came flying through the door and dragged Lisanna into another breath-restricting hug, that lasted only a second before Mira grabbed him by the ear.

"OW! Mira that_ hurt_!" he whined, some of his old character shining through at having found Lisanna,

"I don't care. Just let her go for a minute," the demon-mage glared at Natsu, who shrunk back to what he deemed a safe distance (across the canal), "Now, Lisanna," she turned to her younger sister, who was now staring down at her feet, "WHERE-HAVE-YOU-BEEN-LISANNA-WE'VE-BEEN-SO-WORRIED-ABOUT-YOU-I-WAS-AFRAID-YOU-HAD-LEFT-TOO-OR-SOMETHING-OH-MY-GOD-DONT-EVER-DISAPPEAR-LIKE-THAT-AGAIN!" she threw her arms around her younger sister again, wailing and shedding enough tears to bring about the second rein of Noah and his ark.

Lisanna hugged her sister back, "I'm sorry Mira...I was just so angry with myself...even though everyone tells me not to blame myself, because Lucy said she doesn't blame me...I still blame myself anyways. So I ran. I've been holding it in for so long, I couldn't do it anymore. I found myself here. I don't know how I remembered that this was her place, but I did. So I came in, and I found this," she handed Mira the letter, and watched as her older sister scanned over the letter quickly, eyes widening when she realized something,

"Lisanna, this letter is dated the day Lucy left...how come we never found it before?" more tears fell down Mira's cheeks as she stared at the handwriting on the paper. More focused on the fact it was Lucy's writing than what words were written.

"I found it in the little box at the edge of that desk there," Lisanna said "I didn't mean to snoop, I was just curious,"

Mira smiled a little, realizing that Lucy had left it there for that reason. If Lisanna was to ever come by here by chance, she would not know that was in the box. And if she was to snoop, she would find it. It was be her alone that could find that letter. Everyone else that was a regular to Lucy's house knew what was in the box; letters to her mother and father. And nobody else would dare to go through such a thing of Lucy's.

"Mira? Why're you smiling?"

"It's Lucy; such a clever girl. The box is full of letters to her late mother and father. None of us have ever dared to go into that box, it is precious to Lucy, and for her eyes only. She left this note there for you because she figured if you were to ever come here, you would not know that. You were the only one who would ever be able to find this letter, and you did just that," she smiled a little more, wiping even more tears from her face.

"Her late mother and father? Oh...I didn't read anything else I swear! It was on top of all the other letters, I didn't have time to be curious about anything else! Not that I'd read any of the other letters! Especially if they're addressed to her parents-" she was cut off my Mira giggling slightly, a sound that had not been heard since the day Lucy left.

"It's fine, Lisanna. She trusted you enough to leave this with her most important possessions in life. But why she would leave them...I don't know. I don't think anyone knows, or ever will know," a sad look crossed her eyes, yet the smile remained. She looked at the letter again, reading each sentence more carefully. "Well, sister. I think we have a job to do. I think the guild has spent enough time moping around. It's time to bring some cheer back to our family," Mira smiled at her younger sister, and grabbed her hand before running out of the apartment; closing the door behind them.

"Yo! Where are you going?" Natsu called from the other side of the Canal, watching in curiosity as the two girls ran hand in hand, smiles on each of their faces.

"We're going to make things better!" the youngest called back to him, "Come on!"

A small smile came to Natsu's own face, as he imagined what it would be like to have the guild happy again, but his smile faltered when he realized that Lucy wouldn't be a part of it. He stared into his reflection in the canal, and saw only sorrow in the onyx eyes staring back at him. When he looked back up, the two girls had already disappeared.

Looking towards the west, he stared at the first stars that were beginning to appear in the quickly darkening sky. Within minutes, the last of the sun was gone, and the stars were sprinkled brightly across the darkness. Sighing, he turned and started walking towards his home.

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**AN:** Okay, so a lot of stories with this general plot depict Lisanna as being a massive bitch. Not this one. This is obviously a filler chapter, but I have some stuff going on in the outernet right now that needs many attention and I figure I'll give you guys something before breaking the news I won't be updating for quite a while.. I've written a lot about the guild and less about Lucy than I should, but I'm working on the next chapter being ALL Lucy. I hope to have the next chapter posted in a couple of weeks, might be more but hang in. Don't give up. I'll do my best to appease the audience.


	4. The Wolf

**AN: **Hey, this is just a re-upload of the fourth chapter. I was unsatisfied with the original version, less than 2k words and very little description. Sorry for that by the way. I would have done more but stupid things and I got cut off so I just shat the chapter out in the short time I had. Hope you enjoy this chapter, it IS relatively **GRAPHIC**. As in _bloody_, not _pervy. _I've marked where it starts to get bloody and detailed, because I understand there are people that are sensitive to blood and gore, even if it's not visual. So hope you enjoy this re-vamped chapter :) I also HOPE to be uploading a NEW chapter tonight. I'll be commencing the writing as soon as this is uploaded.

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**Disclaimer: **No I don't own FT leave me alone_  
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_Lucy stared intensely at the man in front of her for a few seconds, before the fire shed light on a scar that went across his right eye. She gasped, "Laxus?"_

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Confusion written across his face, Laxus stopped moving, "How do you know my name?"

Lucy also stopped, panic set into her stomach, "Uhm..._Sorcerer's Weekly_?" this was the closest she had come to anyone who knew her previous life; and not just any someone, someone who knew her by scent, someone who had already picked up on that scent. She thanked Mavis he didn't recognize her though.

"_Sorcerer's Weekly_ huh?" a smirk on his face, "Was it the swim-suit edition? Or the romance column where people thought Mira and I were together, that you saw me and got my name?"

"Swim-suit edition!" she blurted out,

The grin on the man's face widened, "Never did a swim-suit edition,"

"Oh, then it must have been something else," she laughed awkwardly, hoping to cover up how much she was panicking, and that slight fear of him finding out who she was. "Well, I must be going!" she quickly gathered her drying clothes and threw them on, not caring she was freely changing in front of someone she barely knew. Once her clothes were on, she turned back to the blond man, noticing he was looking away. _How polite_, she thought to herself as she summoned Virgo, completely forgetting that this man had already recognized her scent, though he thought she just smelled similar, it didn't click in her mind that if she brought forth her celestial spirits he might clue in.

"A celestial mage, huh?" he had turned around, "Funny. You smell like someone I once barely knew, you know my name, and now you have the same magic type as her, as well as the same keys? Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there only one key per spirit...Lucy?"

Lucy froze, panic taking complete control, "Don't call me that!" she whipped around and drew her katana, the tip of the blade just touching his throat.

He didn't flinch, but was impressed with her speed, almost catching him off guard. He pushed the blade away, and walked towards her, not saying anything.

"Stay away from me, Laxus, I swear to Mavis I will not hesitate to kill you," her voice trembled slightly, panic making her hands shake ever so slightly as she raised the blade again.

"You couldn't kill me if you tried, blondie," he smirked at her horrified expression,

"Don't call me blondie! I'm not even blonde anymore! YOU'RE the blond one," she flung her hands in the air, forgetting she was using the blade to keep distance between herself and the blond man.

Taking the opportunity he flew forwards, grabbed the blade from her hands, and shoved her back against a tree. He tossed the blade to the side, and using his whole body he pinned her to the tree. He grabbed her chin, and moved her head around while taking in her sent. "The smell of ammonia from the dye is gross," he mused. He let go of her chin, and his eyes met a pair of steely ice blue ones. "Take the glamour off Lucy, those blue eyes don't match your face," his voice was not forceful, but rather monotone, as though he was lost in thought about something else.

"No," her voice was stern and cold, the kind of voice she used to use to scare Natsu and Gray.

He was about to ask why not when he heard scrambling in the bushes, followed moments later by voices. He recognised them instantly as the same voices in the group of bandits he had spotted earlier. How could he have forgotten?

"Let me off this tree right now, Laxus. I need to get my katana," she had heard the voices and the crashing just as easily as he heard it. Blowing off his questioning look she pushed him when he didn't move. Picking up her katana, she thanked Virgo for cleaning up the campsite and sent her back to the spirit world.

A moment later, three men came crashing into the clearing from the left side, and four more came from the right. Lucy got into attack position, raising her katana in a way that felt completely natural to her.

"You don't plan on killing these guys do you?" Laxus asked, slight worry on his face

"Not kill, just seriously injure," Lucy smirked, loving how she had changed so much. No more was she the soft, forgiving Lucy Heartfilia, she was now a shadow that struck fear into the hearts of the strongest men.

She pulled up her hood and drew the cowl around her face just as the men composed themselves and turned to face her.

"Oh come on!" one of them yelled, "Did we HAVE to barge into the demon's campsite?" fear struck through his voice, causing it to crack as he spoke.

One man stepped forward, clearly the leader of the group, "Yes actually, we did. That was my plan all along. And now that the great Laxus Dreyar is here as well, I have a feeling we'll get a better reward," the smile that came across the man's face was twisted and manic as he laughed, "Get him boys, she's mine." he crouched into his own attack position, a position that reminded Lucy of a tiger about to pounce.

The man suddenly lunged towards Lucy, hoping that his speed would catch her off guard, but Lucy was ready. Her eyes registered the muscle movement beneath his clothes, alerting her of his plan before he actually moved.

As he flew towards her, she watched in slow motion as the man's face contorted into a snarl revealing a set of wolf-like teeth. Before he got too close, she side-stepped lightly and brought the handle of her blade onto his spine. The force of the blow sent shock through the man, he had expected her to be an easy target from what the contact had told him – but before he could react he felt the toe of her boot slam into his ribs; sending him flying into the closest tree.

Head still spinning, he heard a male voice yelling something like, _regular?_ And a bright yellow light slammed into his stomach, knocking the air out of him before he could even recover from the first blow. Not even a second later there was a flurry of soft pinkness enveloping him, making it harder for him to catch his breath.

Realizing that suffocation was the girl's plan to slow him down, he immediately took a deep breath and began to breathe shallowly. When he had calmed down enough to breathe evenly without forcing himself to, he lengthened his nails into razor sharp claws, and started to shred his way through the pink fluff. In less than a minute he had shredded his way to freedom, and the cool evening air revitalized his lungs as he fell onto the ground.

Lucy watched as in less than 2min the feral man had escaped her trap, but what not surprised he had done so, so quickly; seeing as he was visibly smarter than the rest of his gang. What did surprise her though was the way his body started to shift after he had stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth. From where she stood, the sound of bones cracking flesh ripping was loud and it made Lucy nauseous, but she did not take her eyes off him.

-**Attention: graphic and bloody**-

The man let out an angered and painful yelp as his neck snapped backwards, and his face began to shift with the rest of his body. She could see clearly the bones under his skin moving and shifting places. She could see the bones in his face cracking just below the surface of skin, and a few times even breaking through the skin, the bright white splattered with red would then sink back into his face in a new position, eventually resulting in changing his face into that of a wolfs. She watched the rest of his body follow suit, white and red ripping through his clothes to become visible to the horrified girl. What seemed like an eternity to her was really only 30 seconds, as before her now stood a pitch black wolf with blazing red eyes. They stared at her intently, and Lucy swore she could see the smugness with-in.

Everyone always says that eyes are the windows to the soul, but when Lucy looked into the wolf's – once man – eyes she saw mostly the soul of a feral beast waiting impatiently to rip her to shreds. Underneath she could see the remains of the twisted man that was there moments ago; it was as though he now sat back and simply told the beast what to do.

An inkling of a thought appeared in Lucy's mind, something that she had read long ago. Something about the very bloody scene she had just witnessed. She tried to focus, thinking that whatever it was might be useful to her fight against the beast, but it snarled. Catching 100% of her attention she noticed it had started to move slowly to the side, a slow stroll in a wide circle around her. She didn't let her eyes leave the wolf once, until her eyes caught the sight of Laxus battling the rest of the wolves in the gang.

She didn't know how she didn't notice it before, but the man was drop-dead gorgeous. The scar across his eye made the blood under Lucy's skin start to boil at the idea of being with such a bad-boy of a man. What didn't help was the way he battled the wolves around him; his entire body was surrounded by an air of electricity, his muscles rippling as he moved to punch the wolves that kept leaping at him. There weren't many left, the majority of them were sprawled on the ground in pools of their own blood. A few of their necks had been snapped, leaving their heads lying in twisted positions. One wolf had its back broken, slivers of its spine blending in with the fur but only slightly longer and tinged with red. She watched as he grabbed another wolf by the throat and with a flick of his wrist snapped the beast's neck, the head flopping horridly to the side instantly; body limp in an instant. Another wolf jumped at him from behind, but before she could say anything to warn him, he had struck it with lightning. The wolf yelped and screamed, but Laxus did not stop. He did not stop until the smell of burning flesh and fur had filled the air.

It was then that Lucy looked back to her wolf, it had barely been a minute but he was no longer in front of her. She heard a growl from behind, and turned just in time to see its glistening teeth rushing towards her. Raising the sword as fast as she could she drove the side of the blade into the wolf's ribs, releasing a small yelp from the wolf. But it had been the dull side that hit the wolf, leaving only a line of pain down its side. Faster than she could register, the wolf jumped at her again, this time earning its own blow against her.

Teeth locked onto her right arm and the jaw clamped as hard as it could. She could feel the bone in her arm snap and begin to shatter. Barely thinking through the pain Lucy dropped her katana. The muscle movement it took to do so caused Lucy even more pain, and she let lose an agonized scream. The wolf pushed forwards, sending Lucy onto her ass. A bright flash of light appeared beside her and Loke stood there, rage etched across his face in.

"Get your slobbery fucking mouth of my master you mangy flea-bag!" Loke yelled at the wolf as his hands lit up before he yelled _Regulus Punch_.

The wolf let go of Lucy's arm, taking a fair amount of flesh in its mouth though. Lucy cried out again, and clutched her arm to her stomach; blood dripping heavily from the wound. One more wound and she'd be done, she had bled too much that day; first in the rain, and now her arm. She could feel the loss of blood beginning to affect her.

"Loke, please," Lucy cried, her voice coming out in gasps, "Keep it away for a moment," and Loke understood, he turned back to the wolf and began to rain down a flurry of punches on the beast. A moment later, another flash of brilliant light and Gemi and Mini had appeared beside her. "Gemi, Mini, I need you to take on your form of Wendy. I need you to heal this best you can, please," the twin spirits nodded and did as she asked. It was a lot of work to imitate Wendy's healing magic, but with enough concentration the three of them managed to get Lucy's wound to stop bleeding. It was going to scar horribly, but it was better than dying.

Lucy stood up, swaying slightly, the amount of magic used and blood lost had her feeling fairly weak. "Loke, you can go," he looked like he was about to protest, but Lucy only shook her head. She did not have enough energy to force close his gate, nor keep his gate open any longer. Worry being the last look on his face that she saw, he disappeared.

As the spirit's light dissipated, Lucy saw the beast standing in front of her. It was ragged, blood matted its fur and dripped from its teeth, the feral look in its eyes was completely animal. There was no trace of humanity left. And that is when Lucy remembered.

The magic the man had used was forbidden, had been made illegal in the times when magic was new. It was dangerous, so very dangerous that not even Zeref himself had attempted to use such a dark magic. It was a magic lost to time itself, having been forgotten over the years. Very few people knew about it in today's world; and those who did, did not talk about it. Where they got their knowledge? No one really knows, but Lucy had found her knowledge when she was just a small child. She had been wandering through the library of the Heartfilia Estate, looking for a new book to read. She travelled further and further back, books were becoming more and more dust covered. The scent of old book filled the deepest corners of the library, where books were stored that she doesn't think her mother or father even remember having. It was there she came across an off looking book. It was thin, bound in black leather. Curiosity overcame the small girl, and she climbed the shelf to get the book.

Within was something that the young girl would have nightmares about for almost a year. The pictures of twisted men and women were burned into her eyes for months, and the knowledge made her sick to her stomach. It was were-magic; the ability to turn oneself completely animal – body and soul. Unlike the Strauss family whom had mastered take-over magic, they kept their minds and their souls. When one would dare to use were-magic they gave themselves completely over to the animal side. It had been made illegal because nobody could control the magic. Nobody could control the feral beast inside the soul that the magic unleashed.

Lucy's guess was that these men all had trained for years in the most unethical ways possible to be able to use this magic and come back from it. But she knew now that this man was gone, he was no longer human in any way. He was rotten to the core, he had let the animal rage inside take complete control, and now he was going to kill her.

The beast snapped its jaws, reminding her of how it felt to be between them when they closed. She cringed, but stood tall. She bent down, and picked up her katana, which conveniently was close by. Her right arm still heavily damaged forced her to have to use her left arm. Unsure of how she was going to do this, she just raised the blade and pointed the tip at the wolf.

It leapt then, and when it got close Lucy angled the blade to go right through the wolf's heart – or so she hoped. Shock rippled through her as well as pain when she hit the ground. The blade's handle dug harshly into her stomach, and she hoped to Mavis that it hasn't caused internal bleeding. She could see the edge of the blade above the wolf's shoulder, and she realized that she had just missed its heart. _Stupid left arm_, cursed Lucy as the wolf reared its head to look down at the girl beneath it.

A growl ripped through its chest and before Lucy could react, its jaws clamped shut on her again, this time her shoulder. Screaming in pain, Lucy twisted the blade still in her hand with all her might. She felt and heard the blade rip flesh, and as she continued to twist the jaws slacked. Finally, the beast was dead. She panted, and realized that she had little hope of surviving this now. She could feel the life from her draining with the blood that pooled on the ground.

As she closed her eyes, she focused on the sound of Laxus. He was taking out the last wolf. Lucy realized that everything that just happened had happened in less than 15 minutes. Seconds after the crack of the last wolfs body she heard Laxus call out to her.

_Is that fear in his voice?_ Lucy thought, _How touching. I guess he cares a little. _She smiled at the thought of the blonde man having any sort of feelings towards her. His voice was getting closer, and suddenly it was right beside her. She couldn't make out what he was saying, his voice was muddled and frantic, _Maybe he cares more than a little,_ was the last thought she had before going completely unconscious.

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**AN:** Like I said, relatively graphic. I hope it didn't gross too many people out or turn anyone off of the story. I'll be starting the next chapter now, and I'd like to thank **XxShyxX **for the wonderful idea they have given me which has me motivated to jump right into the next chapter.

Also! Currently looking for a beta, someone who is willing to help me edit the story. I've had a few comments now saying how well this is written but I'd still like someone to look it over for spelling, punctuation or grammar mistakes. PM me if you're interested, (basically you'll get to read the chapters before ANYONE ELSE! Now if that isn't exciting then get out of my face) and I'll send you my e-mail and the latest chapter :)

Thanks a bunch for the lovely reviews as well!

- Dusty (May 30)


	5. Important AN

**AN: **Hey, just wanted to let you all know that I've updated chapter 4 (The Wolf) because I was unhappy with it. So go back, re-read it, and tell me what you think of the new chapter. It's important too, because if you don't read the updated version some stuff might not make sense to you in the upcoming chapter. I'm working on it now, but I don't think I'll be getting it posted tonight like I noted in the updated CP4, but like I also said in CP4 "I HOPE".

So, enjoy the re-vamped chapter, and a new chapter should be out fairly soon. As soon as possible, I promise! My life is just stupid hectic right now, so I'm sorry for making you wait.

Also, thanks for all the lovely reviews! They've inspired me to keep going with the story.

I'd also appreciate if people could note any mistakes I make while writing this story, seeing as I write most of it at school on paper and I sometimes forget specific little details that could confuse peoples.

AGAIN,  
Thank everybody!


	6. The Sky

**AN: Here you go, another complete chapter. Sorry if my chapters seem shorter than a lot of other stories. I'm not really good with length, but I feel pretty content with 2.5k-3k works per chapter, and hope you can all handle the small tidbits of information every now and then. I don't have a set schedule for updating thanks to family and school, so don't be worried if I suddenly take a reaaaallly long time to update. I'll never forget about this story, and I'll update when I can.**

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**Disclaimer: _No I don't own FT go away_**

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Lucy awoke to the sound of waves crashing against rocks; sea-salt itched the inside of her nose, making her twitch slightly. She took a deep breath, and found that all she could smell was salt. _I've never been this close to the ocean, I wonder if it's the way Erza always told me – no. Don't think about that shit right now._

She opened her eyes, the bright light of the sun momentarily blinding her. When her eyes adjusted, she saw that she was in a fairly large room, in a fairly large bed. Two of the four walls were regular dry-wall; nothing too special. But the other two walls were completely glass, giving her an amazing view of the sun setting on the ocean horizon. _No wonder it was so blindingly bright in here._

Sitting up caused her a great deal of pain and she let out a very loud groan. Falling back onto the bed she groaned even louder, the pain centering in her shoulder/neck area. The pain continued to throb intensely, making Lucy grit her teeth in hopes of taking her mind off the pain. Out of habit, she twisted her head to the side trying to crack her neck, only to receive even more pain, and she released a pained gasp. _Wow, that was fucking stupid_, she scolded herself. She opened her eyes again, and focused on the ceiling above her. It was a regular white color, but for some reason it was comforting and it helped her think. After a moment she realized it was because it reminded her of when she'd lay in her old bed at the apartment in Magnolia and stare at the ceiling.

Quickly tearing her eyes away, she instead focused on staring at the waves crashing against the shore a mere 50ft from the western window-wall. The steady, yet uneven crashing lulled Lucy into a sort of trance, where in her mind she replayed the events of her day before blacking out; the storm, the blood, Laxus, the wolf-men gang, and the bite. Ah yes, the bite. The worst wound she received in that battle.

As she continued to think about all of this, it completely slipped her mind that she had no idea how she got into the bed she was in, or where Laxus might be. Last she remembered of him was his voice filled with fear and calling her name.

Just as she was about to sit up again, the door opened and the blonde man himself walked in.

"Lucy...you're awake..." he seemed shocked, "Oh thank god you're awake," he rushed towards her and sat down on the edge of the bed. He placed a hand on her forehead, and once seeing her temperature had dropped finally, brushed her bangs off her face. He let his hand slide from the top of her head and to her cheek, where it rested a moment before he pulled away, awkwardness suddenly settling in as he noticed the confusion on her face. "You were out for a few days, three to be exact. After losing so much blood and suffering so many injuries I'm surprised you're awake. I just got back from the store, had to restock on fresh water, you know...living by the ocean and all it's not exactly convenient when it comes to digging a fresh water well – what the hell is that look for?!"

Lucy couldn't help herself, the great big and bad-ass Laxus was sitting in front of her stuttering and being nice and the urge to giggle finally spilled over and bubbles of soft laughter filled the room,

"Oi, Blondie. Stop laughing at me. I'm trying to be nice, and funny!" his big pouty face brought a huge smile to Lucy's face, making him smile lightly as well.

"Oh! The great Laxus Dreyar is sitting in front of me trying to be _nice_ and _funny_! That is NOT something you hear every day!" she continued to laugh but then suddenly stopped, "HEY I AM NOT BLONDE! YOU'RE THE BLONDE ONE!" she screeched at him, her vocal cords straining caused slight pain to shoot up her neck making her cringe at the feeling. She quieted, softly stroking the bandages that were along her neck and shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?" Laxus

Lucy nodded, she could feel dampness through the bandages, and she realized she must have ripped the wound a bit earlier when she tried to crack her neck.

"I can smell the blood, dumbass. Let me change the bandage, and since you're awake this time get up and come with me. We're goona go down to the ocean afterwards," he stood up and held his hand for her to grab.

At the sight of him standing before her, hand stretched and waiting for her to grab, Lucy could feel a small twinge in her heart. Without thinking she reached out and grabbed his hand, feeling a stronger pull in her heart the moment her skin touched his. _What the hell? I barely know him so why is this affecting me at all?_ He pulled her upwards, and before she could think he had lifted her into his arms.

To say Lucy was stunned was an understatement; a blush crept across her cheeks and down her neck.

"U-u-uhm, Laxus? What're you doing?!" Lucy stammered, her blush darkening and spreading across her chest.

Laxus sighed, "I'm being nice. Don't ask why...it's hard to explain,"

Lucy was quiet after that, unsure of what to say. It wasn't an awkward silence, not even when Laxus had moved to undo the buttons on Lucy's shirt (**which by the way I should add, is one of Laxus's dress shirts, and she's wearing a pair of her own comfy shorts**) but stopped and asked her for permission first. The way his hands moved surprised Lucy, she had expected him to be awkward and a little klutzy but in reality, they were quick and agile as well as precise. In less than ten minutes, Laxus had removed her bandage, cleaned the wound again – which hurt like a bitch – and rebandaged it. He then spent another five minutes checking on the cut on her forehead and all other minor injuries.

After only 15 minutes of antiseptic scented gauze, alcohol rubs, and infection-prevention-cream, Lucy stepped outside and was awed by the red light of the setting sun reflecting off the surface of the ocean. The sky was orange where the sliver of sun was still above the horizon, and faded to a light pink further into the sky, and then into a darker blue, and then a midnight-blue to the east where the moon was beginning to peek above the trees and the stars already begun to shine.

In a short moment of time, Lucy saw every stage of the sky above her, a scene so beautiful Lucy could only stare in awe. But being only a moment in time, it was gone quickly. Sad it was over, but still awed by the sight, Lucy turned to look at Laxus and found that he was only staring at her. There was his own sadness in his eyes as his met with hers. He smiled lightly at her, before brushing back a strand of hair that had fallen across her face.

The breeze picked up, and it took a few more strands of her hair and pushed it to the opposite side of her head, leaving Laxus slightly annoyed; he had just fixed it, and the wind dicked it all up again. She couldn't help but giggle at the expression on his face, one that said 'I give up on life'. At the sight of her smile, Laxus let one of his own pick up his lips; but his eyes still spoke sadness.

"Laxus...why did you save me? You had every right to just walk away; you could have walked away from the start. You could have just never even pulled me into the bush. And what did you mean by, 'you smell like someone I used to know'? Were you talking about me, before you realized it was me? Or was there actually someone else?" her voice was calm, but her insides were churning fresh butter, she felt she already knew his answers, but she wanted to hear them out loud. _Again with the icky feely stuff, get your shit together Lucy. Just accept that he saved you, probably because he felt bad for you. Heal up, and get the fuck out. Another person from that place could come along any time now, and Laxus could easily blow your cover_. She stared at the sand, hoping that he wouldn't hear her pounding heart.

"It's hard to explain-"

"How? How is it hard to explain, it should be simple. Why is it hard to explain things to me?" an annoyed expression crossed her face, "You don't think I'm stupid, do you?"

"NO! Of course not. God, you're freaking brilliant. It's the same reason as to why I'm being nice, and it's all really complicated. I don't want to scare you either, dragonslayer shit is weird sometimes, Blondie,"

"Don't call me Blondie! I'm not blonde! You're blonde!"

"Yeah, whatever. Anyways. I doubt Natsu ever said anything about dragonslayers and mates?" the confused look on her face confirmed his thoughts, "Okay...well...gah. This is just so weird really. I'm a man, I don't do talks and emotional stuff!"

"Do it anyways you dolt," Lucy smiled at him, as if to say 'don't worry, I won't laugh'.

The smile gave him some courage, and he took a deep breath before rocketing off into a mass clusterfuck of dragonslayer mating rituals, and before he could control it he spouted off a shitload of emotions.

"So, to be blunt about it, Lucy you're my mate. No I didn't choose you – not that I WOULDN'T – it just kind of happens. Dragon instinct kicks in and tells the slayer (or dragon) to find their mate. There's never a generation that doesn't find a mate, since all mates are chosen before birth. It's kind of some wack, destiny shit. It's never really against someone's will either, because the chosen mate has their choice of whether they want to stay with the slayer or not. Which is good, not all slayers are good people, and tossing an innocent woman or man into a relationship with a horrible person is...well horrible. It's complicated. The fate-chosen-mate will of course have feelings for the slayer, but it's entirely up to the person to pursue them or not. A lot of the time the fate-chosen-mate does go with the slayer, since a lot of the time the slayers emotions and mentality can change to try and make themselves more alluring to the mate they wish to court, but not always. Slayers will ever only have one mate; mates will only ever be 'attracted' to one slayer. I'm ranting now aren't I? Sorry if it's a lot to take it...but yeah...you're my mate Lucy. And the moment I heard you had left Fairy Tail I followed you – well tried. You disappeared pretty quickly, which is quite impressive. But I've been trying to find you, not just because you're my mate – that's what drove me to keep looking for you – but because you're an amazing person, and I felt my heart break a little more every day when I saw you drinking and becoming so depressed. To answer the rest of your questions, that's why I saved you. When I didn't know it was you, I was talking about you. And even though I didn't think you were Lucy, I saved you anyways because something in my gut told me I _had_ to. No questions asked it was a _must_. I was physically not able to leave you there. And when that wolf-man said you were his, I wanted to rip his guts out and shove them back down his throat, but his stupid minions kept blocking me from getting to you. When I thought you were going to die...I panicked...I've never panicked the way I did when I thought you were going to die. I did something I've never done before: I lightning warped with you in my arms. Turns out I can do that...pretty crazy. I barely left your side for two days, only to get new gauze or water for you. Today was the first day I left, which was just for water, but I used lightning to get to town and back. I wasn't going to risk anything...and when I got back, you were awake. All I wanted to see was _you_, but Lucy..." he stopped, his own gaze now drifted towards the sand

"Oh my god, Laxus..." _no wonder I felt weird flutters around him, no wonder I still do? How do I even comprehend this? _ "I...I don't know what to say, or do really...what should I do?" her heartbeat stuttered when he looked up at her, his gaze so intense she felt herself heat up despite the chill of the ocean breeze, the sun now completely gone left no warmth in the air.

"I know what you should do," he spoke softly, the sad look was back in his eyes, and Lucy could feel her heart clench at the sight of the sadness in his intense blue gaze. "Remove the eye glamour, Lucy. Let me see your real eyes again. God, I wish I got a chance to see them up close a long time ago, but I just have this need...please, Lucy..."

The sadness in his eyes grew, and the clenching in Lucy's heart tightened. She hadn't seen her own eyes in so long, how could she let him just waltz in and see them before her? But the sadness remained, almost like intense puppy-dog eyes.

After a few more minutes of Lucy flicking her eyes around to random things, and her feet shifting uncomfortably under his gaze, Lucy looked him dead in the eye and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, and murmured something under her breath so quickly that even with Laxus's enhanced hearing he didn't catch what she said. But when she opened her eyes he was stunned.

Her milk-chocolate eyes were there again, and more chocolate-y than ever. Her gaze again shifted from random sights around the beach, which irritated Laxus slightly.

"Look at me," he grabbed her chin lightly, and directed her face to stare directly at him, but her gaze was still slightly to the left, "Lucy...look at me..."

Cautiously, Lucy looked directly into his eyes, and instantly she melted. His gaze was so soft and warm, so full of kindness, and...love? Yes, love. There was love evident in the eyes of Laxus Deyar, and it was directed at Lucy and Lucy alone. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she felt her core heat up as his hand ghosted up her back then landed firmly on the back of her head, his other hand finding its place on her lower back. In one swift movement his lips pressed against hers; but the kiss was short and simple.

The moment he pulled away, Lucy yearned to have him against her again. Instead she raised a hand to her lips, and swore she could still feel his against hers.

Suddenly, the shock settled in, Laxus Dreyar had just kissed her. _Her_. Lucy Heartfilia. Kiss. Lips. Him. Her. Mate. Unsure of how to react, Lucy stared at the man in front of her, and he stared back.

"Sorry...that was probably all too fast wasn't it?"

Lucy didn't speak in fear her voice would show how startled she was, but nodded instead.

"Damn...again, sorry. I just got so caught up in your eyes – yeah it sounds corny, don't judge! It's true. They're absolutely mesmerizing," he noticed then that his hands were still on her back and head, "Oh..sorry – _again,_" he let his hands drop and was sad when she took a step back.

"I...I...I need to think about all this...thank you though, for being straight up honest. I'm going to bed...that room with the glass walls right?"

"Yeah, you can have that again," he muttered softly, "have a good sleep, Lucy," he turned around and stared at the ocean. When he heard the door shut, he cursed himself for kissing her too soon. "God dammit Laxus, don't fuck this up!" he picked up a rock, and he threw it into the ocean.

Once inside, Lucy ran for the bathroom. A wave of slight nausea passed over her at the amount of bruises and cuts that covered her body. The most distaste for the forehead and shoulder wounds. She felt a little better when she leaned forwards and saw her old eyes staring back at her. Even with the black hair she figured people _shouldn't_ recognize her on a whim, despite how obvious her eye colour was.

Sure, there were lots of people with brown eyes, but few with the same shade of brown as Lucy. It wasn't just chocolate brown; it was chocolate mixed with the stars and gold, and flakes of green nearest the pupil. No wonder Laxus couldn't hold back, they were really the most mesmerizing mix of colors that even she had ever seen; not even her mother had just detailed eyes.

She turned on the tap to cold, knowing full well she'd just get salty ocean water, and after letting it run for a moment she cupped her hands under the stream and threw water across her face, but was careful to avoid the bandages on her neck. She dried off her face, applied some moisturizer she found in her toiletries bag – which Laxus had been nice enough to not go through, but just set on the counter. Pulling her hair into a messy bun, Lucy flicked off the light and walked towards the bedroom.

When she looked towards the ocean, she noticed that Laxus no longer stood outside. The moon shone brightly into the room, illuminating everything much too bright for one who was about to try and sleep. Groaning, she turned around and smacked into a solid body, Laxus.

"Hey, forgot to tell you," he turned to a row of light switches that were on the wall by the door, and flicked a random switch, "this one brings down some heavy duty curtains. They block out the sun too. I'm sure you're still tired, even after sleeping for three days. So get some more rest, I'll make you some food in the morning," he smiled at her, quickly placed a kiss on her forehead, and left before she could respond.

Turning around, she noticed that the glass walls were now covered with a heavy looking material, leaving the room in almost total darkness._ Fucking perfect, he's already affecting me and I haven't even thought about anything he told me._ She shuffled over to the bed, realizing that she was indeed, still incredibly tired. After settling in, being wary of her shoulder and not wanting to make it bleed again, she reached for the small chain on the bedside lamp, and pulled it; plunging the room into complete darkness.

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**Some more AN: so I'm really freaking happy with the (small) but incredibly success with this story. It's been placed into a community! the Recommended Reading List founded by Kesuna (THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCH) and I have over 90 followers and 50 favorites, which makes me really happy.  
Keep reviewing blokes! It makes me happy! **

**-Dusty**

**PS: if someone can PM me all my spelling/grammar/punctuation mistakes that would be lovely, I wrote this at 3am on a school night for all of you, the least you can do is correct my sleepy work. Thank you! **


	7. Another Important AN

Apologies for this "update", I will not be updating for a while. I am moving, and after this I will have no laptop or internet for who knows how long. Hopefully, in a couple weeks I'll have a new laptop, and the internet will be set up, and then I'll be able to update for you guys. I'll be fixing up the last chapter once that happens, again I'm unhappy with my writing. In the meantime, until I can update, I will be writing by pen & paper and will have many chapters waiting for you. Have a lovely summer everyone :)

-Dusty


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